Airport Experience® News - Retail Issue 2026

SPONSORED SKIES The boundaries of airport sponsorship Airports Test The Waters On Naming Rights Sponsorships BY DAVID GORDON

are expanding beyond traditional jet bridges and baggage carousels. As capital improvement costs rise, airport operators are looking closely at how terminal spaces and guest amenities can be packaged into dedicated naming rights agreements. The most high-profile move came earlier this year, when the Chicago Department of Aviation released a Request for Information (RFI) asking the market to imagine a naming rights and sponsorship program spanning parking structures, electric vehicle chargers, concourses and even children’s play areas at O’Hare International Airport (ORD) and Midway International Airport (MDW). The airport names themselves are not under consideration. A spokesperson for the CDA describes this RFI as opportunity-driven rather than a response to a specific financial shortfall, saying the goal is exploring every way to make the airports as passenger-friendly as possible. Non-aeronautical revenue already funds a sizable share of both airports’ budgets. Midway currently draws roughly 30% of its budget from non-aeronautical sources, and O’Hare draws close to a quarter. The CDA plans to run this sponsorship effort separately from its existing advertising program. Through its RFI, the CDA sought to gauge market appetite and gather valuation benchmarks around visibility, dwell time, brand alignment and passenger demographics. It also weighed program models, from exclusive naming rights to co-branding and tiered sponsorships, and tied branding to sustainability and Chicago’s civic identity. The clearest picture of the initiative’s scope comes from the written Q&A document CDA published alongside the RFI. Industry respondents pushed

on several practical execution points, and the department noted that key operational details remain under review. Open administrative and structural questions include whether sponsorship and advertising will run as separate programs and how the line will be drawn between sponsorship and advertising packages. Department officials continue to review respondent feedback as they determine whether and how to advance the initiative into a formal procurement phase. At press time, it was unclear whether the CDA will move forward on any sponsorship deals. An airport spokesperson didn’t respond to multiple requests for comment.

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AX NEWS SEPTEMBER 2026